What are the hurdles to communicating across political divides in the US today?

Based on recent feedback, one-on-one debates will be de-emphasized for this event. There will still be room for debating controversial topics, and we will focus more directly on repairing communication across divides.

In that spirit, communication itself is the main topic this month. The group is being asked these questions:

• What are the greatest hurdles to repairing communication and understanding across political and philosophical divides in the United States today?
• How can we attempt to measure (or at least get some idea) about the proportional importance of various hurdles?
• How can we test our theories? What are relevant phenomena to the idea that there are hurdles in such communication and understanding?

We may use recent discussion topics as a jumping off point. If these points have since been refined, this is not meant to pin anyone down to an old position. We can talk about subsequent refinements or changes, and that will be relevant to framing and communication.

• For example, recent arguments from "the left": 1) Fascism is when victimhood and puritanism justify breaking established norms and laws. 2) ICE is a fascist institution.
• And from "the right": 1) We should mourn every death and never celebrate someone’s death. 2) Immigration without assimilation is colonization.